What Gas Octane Level Required For iForce Max Hybrid - 87 or 91?

[Cory39744]

Maybe someone can explain to me what Octane goes into the IForce Max? The manual states 87 (research octane 91) or higher? So is it 87 or 91?

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[zgreen]

Maybe someone can explain to me what Octane goes into the IForce Max? The manual states 87 (research octane 91) or higher? So is it 87 or 91?

Hey Cory. Definitely a bit confusing! As for what I have been able to determine, it will take 87, but operates better on 91, with no ethanol. There are a few threads on here that talk about an additional 20+ horsepower and 20+ torque as well with the 91 or higher. That's all I got. Hopefully someone with a bit more knowledge will drop on in.

 

[CO/ZA]

87 AKI

91 RON

AKI is the measurement used by the United States, which is an average of RON and MON.

RON is used in the rest of the world as the standard.

I’d use premium 91/93 AKI in the US personally, as the turbo can take advantage of it and it’s not much more $.

 

[Gumpus]

So just to reinforce, your owners manual is recommending 87 octane in the US since it's the AKI number shown on pumps.

Whether you might want to use higher octane is another discussion.

 

[CorvinoTRDPRO]

It’s a government issue also. Here in canada says 87 regular fuel

 

[AlanA]

https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/thr...ne-on-gas-engine-2-4l-i-force-dyno-test.1966/

 

[zgreen]

So just to reinforce, your owners manual is recommending 87 octane in the US since it's the AKI number shown on pumps.

Whether you might want to use higher octane is another discussion.

That is correct! I am running 91 in my TD Pro as a personal preference, to get hopefully a little bit better, gas mileage as well as the extra house horsepower and torque.

 

[Doofy]

on my 2021, i use 91 or 93 for 8-10% better mileage, for approx 15% increase in cost of gas. i simply like running better fuel and filling up less often..

 

[EarthPIG_0311]

I look at it like this: 87 is the minimum. You're good to go with 87, no quarrel.
However higher is better. As proved by the dyno showing increased power.
Personally I only put 91. It's a turbo charged engine, I'm going to put the highest octane available and in CA, 91 is the highest I can find

 

[Gastan]

@Cory39744 have you seen this discussion thread?

Premium fuel 91 octane gains 20 hp / 14 lb-ft torque (vs. 87 octane) on gas engine 2.4L i-Force -- dyno test



The test was performed on the gas engine, not hybrid, but it's likely 91 octane would result in more power for the hybrid engine as well.

 

[CMill4Runner]

I run 89/91 whichever I can get here in CO in my 2.7L TT Bronco and you can really feel the difference in power and better MPG. When we get our Max in a month I'll see if the same applies to the T4R but my guess is it will for sure. I will also be curious how 91 affects MPG's.

 

[6thGen1419]

That is correct! I am running 91 in my TD Pro as a personal preference, to get hopefully a little bit better, gas mileage as well as the extra house horsepower and torque.

AI says better mileage with higher octane is a myth.

AI:
1. Higher octane ≠ more energy

• Octane rating only measures resistance to knock (pre-ignition), not energy content.
• In fact, higher-octane fuels sometimes have slightly less energy per gallon than regular fuel (differences are small, but measurable — usually 0.5–1%).
• So if you put 91 or 93 octane in an engine tuned for 87, you’re not giving it more power; you’re just giving it fuel it doesn’t need.

 

[zgreen]

Well, you can either take a very easy AI search (which are incorrect a lot of the time) or dig in and look at the dyno tests that were done on this specific engine, which shows up to a 20 hp gain and better MPG... There is a lot of research out there and threads here on this forum, about this exact topic.

 

[6thGen1419]

Well, you can either take a very easy AI search (which are incorrect a lot of the time) or dig in and look at the dyno tests that were done on this specific engine, which shows up to a 20 hp gain and better MPG... There is a lot of research out there and threads here on this forum, about this exact topic.

You're right, but it requires tuning and ECU mods?

AI again:
Some dyno tests report up to 20 hp gain with 91 octane.

• These tests are done under specific controlled conditions, ECU adjustments, or optimistic real-world dyno variations.
  

--
But look, I don't know what I'm talking about. I have no reason to trust AI more than you.

It's an interesting topic though.

 

[zgreen]

You're right, but it requires tuning and ECU mods?

AI again:
Some dyno tests report up to 20 hp gain with 91 octane.

• These tests are done under specific controlled conditions, ECU adjustments, or optimistic real-world dyno variations.

--
But look, I don't know what I'm talking about. I have no reason to trust AI more than you.

It's an interesting topic though.

Very much so! I haven't downgraded to 85 octane yet to see if I can get any anecdotal information, so I just know how it drives with the 91. Have a good one and enjoy your rig!

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